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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

TRANSFORMING TUESDAYS: ARE YOU READY?

Are you ready to do what God wants you to do? Are you ready
to accept his blessings in disguise or even ready to turn away when you are
tempted?

In today’s reading, Jesus talks about being ready and being
willing. Luke 12:32 speaks of being
ready when the master comes. What does
being “ready” mean? The bible defines
“ready” as being fully prepared. I think
that preparation is one of the most important tools that you need in life. Preparation means planning and planning
sometimes means success. One saying says
that if you do not plan for anything you plan to fail (something like
that). Sometimes that is not true. We can prepare so much for certain things,
but that doesn’t mean that we are actually prepared. For example, I can prepare so much for an
exam, but if I don’t know how to actually study, then my preparation means
nothing.

Luke 12 talks about when the master comes home and says that
the servants should be watching. Jesus
is our master and his followers (us) are his servants. We should be watching and waiting and
anticipating for his return, meaning we should be prepared for his return. But let us not forget that Matthew 24:36
states, “"No one
knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father.” Once again as much as
we think we prepare for his return, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are
fully prepared. He wants us to be ready
in our darkest hours, in our brightest hours, in ANY and EVERY hour.

Being ready also means being ready for things such as temptation. Have you ever been tempted to do something
that you thought was wrong? I’m sure you have especially since we were born
into a world of sin and our flesh is weak.
In Genesis 22 it says that God tempted Abraham in regards to his faith. He pushed Abraham to see if he would be
willing to sacrifice his own son because of his faith in God. Abraham passed the test and was blessed for
his faith and obedience. Abraham like
the servant was ready and prepared for God.
Being ready also means if you are ready to be blessed.

Being ready for God also means being ready when no one else
is. Luke 12 talks about the division in
the family that occurs. This made me
think of my own situation with my own parents and the division that belief
caused for me. My mother is a devout
Christian and my father is a Muslim. I
remember being a little girl and growing up with my father and being brought to
the mosque, for me it was not a choice. I
have learned that being ready for whatever God wants for me meant standing
alone in most situations. What gave me
peace was that I know where my help comes from.
There was even a time where my older brother was a Muslim and would
question me about my faith. I am so
pleased to say that upon graduating college this past May, he has given his
life to Christ. If you ask him today, HE IS
READY!!! ARE YOU?!